StarCraft 2 Impossible Mission Finally Conquered after 14 years

For over a decade, we all tried to beat this one mission StarCraft 2 impossible mission: In Utter Darkness. This mission, part of the game's Wings of Liberty campaign, presents players with a nearly impossible scenario: survive an overwhelming enemy onslaught while protecting your Protoss units. Over the years, players have attempted countless strategies, but none have succeeded in achieving victory, until now.

Thanks to the creative genius of YouTube content creator Davey Gunface, the seemingly unbeatable challenge has been conquered—though not in the way anyone might have expected. After 14 years of attempts, Gunface has found a way to not be beaten by this StarCraft 2 impossible mission and survive in what many thought was unwinnable.

His solution, which locks both enemies and allies into a never-ending stalemate, involves the clever manipulation of game mechanics and the enemy AI.

StarCraft 2 Impossible Mission - In Utter Darkness

In Utter Darkness tasks players with surviving a swarm of enemies for a set amount of time while their Protoss forces are gradually overwhelmed. This mission is designed to be an ultimate test of strategy, as players are forced to fend off waves of increasingly difficult enemies.

In this mission, even the most skilled StarCraft 2 players are expected to lose. The ultimate objective is not survival but rather to kill a specific number of enemies before going down in a blaze of glory. However, this challenge has been redefined by Davey Gunface's breakthrough.

The strategy

The core of Gunface’s method revolves around manipulating the game’s AI and using Protoss units in an unconventional way. At the heart of the strategy is the "Archon Toilet", a term used by the community to describe a tactic where units are crammed into a small, tight space, rendering them invulnerable to enemy attacks.

Gunface refines this strategy and uses it to create an unbreakable position for his Protoss forces.

To beat this StarCraft 2 impossible mission, he takes advantage of two powerful abilities provided by the Protoss mothership, Artanis: Vortex and Mass Recall. Vortex creates a black hole, drawing enemy units into it, while Mass Recall allows Artanis to teleport units to a specific location.

Gunface uses these abilities to pull enemies into a secluded spot on a cliffside, where his forces—primarily a group of Templar that can morph into Archons—are safe from harm.

The unstoppable Protoss

Once the Archons are in position, they are able to easily handle the waves of air enemies that typically overwhelm the Protoss forces. The Archons, armed with powerful area-of-effect attacks, quickly dispatch the enemy forces that normally would spell the end of the battle.

Despite still losing some units along the way, the situation eventually reaches a point where the enemy cannot spawn any more units, as the ground forces are locked in place, unable to reach the safe haven where the Protoss are stationed.

This results in a situation where both the Protoss and the enemies are at an impasse. The enemies cannot reach the Protoss, and the Protoss can’t progress further—creating a unique stalemate situation. It’s not a win in the traditional sense, as players would not see the typical victory screen, but it is the closest anyone has come to surviving the In Utter Darkness mission.

Pushing the limits: The realistic win condition

Gunface’s strategy goes a step further. By cloaking his units, he is able to eliminate almost all enemies, leaving only the Overseers behind. Overseers are non-combatant units that do no damage and are instead tasked with detecting cloaked units.

With the Overseers no longer able to contribute to the fight, the game reaches a near-permanent standoff. These Overseers retreat to the map’s edges, which Gunface considers a "very realistic win condition" in this context.

While this solution won’t net you the usual victory screen, it offers a unique and almost philosophical ending: the Protoss survive, trapped in their hideout, for an indefinite amount of time. They’ve managed to outlast their enemies, not through traditional victory, but by ensuring that no further harm can come to them.

Legacy of this Starcraft 2 impossible mission

Davey Gunface’s breakthrough brings a sense of accomplishment to the StarCraft 2 community. After 14 years of trying, players can now find hope in the impossible. Although it doesn’t provide the typical satisfaction of completing a mission with a classic win, it demonstrates the deep strategic possibilities within StarCraft 2.

Gunface’s method shows the ingenuity required to exploit the game’s mechanics in ways the developers likely never intended. It’s a testament to the creativity and passion of the StarCraft 2 community, always pushing the boundaries of what’s possible within the game.

For those looking to replicate this strategy, Gunface’s detailed 39-minute YouTube video explains each step of the process, offering a comprehensive guide to achieving this feat. Whether you’re a veteran player or a newcomer, this improbable victory in In Utter Darkness serves as a reminder of the endless possibilities and challenges in the world of StarCraft 2.

In the end, while the Protoss may never escape the confines of their cliffside sanctuary, they can at least rest knowing that after 14 long years, the mission has finally been "beaten"—not by defeating the enemy, but by surviving the impossible.

Feature image credits: Blizzard

Read also:

Best Starcraft Custom Campaigns You Should Definitely Play

StarCraft Shooter: What We Know About Blizzard’s Third Attempt